This invention relates, in general, to backyard housing for domesticated animals, typically pets; and, in most instances, the disclosed abode will be described primarily in terms descriptive of, and relevant to, housing for the family""s favorite pets.
Earlier inventors, for various reasons, have been motivated to apply their creativity to the design and creation of subterranean shelters for animals. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 2,034,156, issued Mar. 17, 1936, to Snider, discloses a den for foxes. The den is designed to be buried in the earth up to one-half its height with additional dirt piled up around the sides and up to the rim of the removable lid. The den is described as well-insulated and therefore warm in the winter and cool in the summer.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,324,339, issued Jul. 13, 1943, to Vanbussum, describes an elaborate subterranean den with tunnels to provide wildlife with a suitable habitat for whelping and rearing their young.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,795,208, issued Jun. 11, 1957, to Rasmussen, describes a combination of underground and an above-ground enclosures providing an option for a confined animal, ideally resulting in a healthier animal with a more marketable pelt.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,809,936, issued Sep. 22, 1998, to Wall describes a virtual subterranean pleasure dome decreed by the inventor to have a foyer for unhindered entry and egress, a venting and air heating system coupled to the master""s residence and a ventilation outlet conduit for automatically refreshing the air within the housing with clean and aromatically pleasing air.
While the housing kit disclosed herein falls woefully short when it comes to providing the amenities and creature comforts for man""s most favored domesticated creature described in the disclosures of the prior art, the disclosed housing kit offers simpler yet inventively distinct features that are more suitable for mass-marketing an uncomplicated structure ideally suited for housing the family pet in clean and comfortable backyard quarters.
Essentially, the disclosed animal shelter is presented in the form of a kit facilitating the construction of a subterranean animal shelter from a cylindrical container. More specifically, the kit comprises a cradle for stabilizing and supporting the cylindrical container when placed on its side; a curtained door to provide for easy entry and exit by the occupant of the shelter; and a piece of material, sufficiently sized to drape over the container, forming a tent to support the placement of soil and sod to substantially cover the container, thus creating the subterranean shelter. A preferred embodiment of the kit will include the above-listed items neatly enclosed within said container or sold with instructions for obtaining and refurbishing a used container.